PATROLS BEEF UP WATCH ON LAND, WATER

Law enforcement agencies are out in full force this long Fourth of July weekend in an effort to hold down the number of drunken drivers and fatalities on roadways and waterways.

Extra Missouri Highway Patrol and Illinois State Patrol officers are patrolling roadways, paying special attention to speed, seat-belt usage and alcohol-related violations.

Also out in big numbers are Missouri Water Patrol officers, conservation agents and U.S. Coast Guard officers on the waterways.

"We have everybody out," said spokesmen for the Missouri Highway Patrol in Poplar Bluff and Illinois State Police at Ullin.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is a peak time for travel. Many motorists will travel to lakes and streams where they were exchange their vehicles for boats.

The official holiday period started at midnight Thursday and continues through midnight Sunday.

With the long weekend, more people than usual will be heading for the nearest river or lake, said Sgt. Hans Huenink of the Missouri Water Patrol.

"We anticipate a record number of boaters this weekend," said Huenink. "We'll be on the waterways in full force."

Boating traffic has been up during the past two years, said Huenink. "Accidents were up in 1996 and 1997, and are already up for 1998," he said.

More than 419 boating accidents involving 15 fatalities were reported in Missouri last year. "We've already had 139 boating accidents reported this year with a dozen fatalities," said Huenink. "Those totals are up from last year."

More than a third of the boating accidents are attributed to alcohol, said Huenink.

As the busiest boating season of the year starts, boaters are reminded to wear a life jacket, slow down and stay sober.

"Most boating deaths and injuries result from those aboard not wearing life jackets when accidents throw them overboard," said Illinois Department of Natural Resources Director Brent Manning.

Manning said 14 people died as a result of boating accidents in Illinois in 1997. There were 146 boating accidents reported.

Nationally, nearly 90 percent of those who die in boating accidents aren't wearing life jackets, said Tom Wakolbinger, deputy chief of law enforcement for the Illinois Department of Resources.

In most states, laws require that life jackets be available for each person aboard boats and that life jackets be worn by anyone operating a boat.

In 1996, there were 709 boating deaths nationally, 500 from drowning. Of those who drowned, 440 were not wearing a personal flotation device.

The U.S. Coast Guard is weighing whether it should require recreational boaters to wear their life jackets at all times, not just carry them aboard.

There's no doubt that wearing personal flotation devices would save lives, say Coast Guard officials. "Life vests are certainly no good if people won't wear them."

The Coast Guard requires that all vessels carry at least one life vest for every passenger. There is no federal requirement to wear them, and states have created a patchwork of rules.

Increases in boating accidents were reported in Missouri and Illinois in 1997. More than 780,000 boats are registered in the two states -- about 390,000 in each. Jet skis account for from 4 percent to 6 percent of all boat registrations in Missouri and Illinois.

After-dark speed limits have been established in Missouri. The new limit is 30 mph for boaters on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and on lakes with an aggregate shoreline that exceeds 160 miles. That includes Wappapello in Southeast Missouri and Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Mark Twain, Table Rock and Smithville, all in Missouri.

Water patrol officials point out that water doesn't have lane markings and turn signals. "It's a free-for-all, and there's no way to know what the other driver is going to do," said Huenink.

Some safety tips while traveling:

-- Stay fresh and alert when driving. Take plenty of breaks, and don't try to meet an unrealistic schedule.

-- Avoid peak travel periods.

-- Avoid late-afternoon driving when heat, fatigue and heavy traffic are a strain.

-- Choose a designated driver before going to a party.

-- Drive at a safe speed, allowing plenty of time and distance to react to traffic changes.